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Eloise lowered her hands and fisted them at her sides. The woman opened the door wider and gestured for Eloise to proceed. Two men met Eloise on the other side.
“Take her to the mansion,” she said and walked away without another glance at Eloise.
* * *
Eloise ran into her room and immediately went to the washbasin. She washed her face and hands, but that wasn’t enough. She wanted to wash away the grime from walking inside the halls of Hades’ hell. She wanted to wash off the feelings the place evoked in her, the memories of seeing that couple in the private room. The memories of seeing Hunter and Verity together. Her skin itched, and she just wanted to crawl out of it. She undid the pins on her head and let her hair fall down her back.
Eloise went back to the door and addressed the guards. “May I ask for a bath, please?”
She’d bathed just last night, and under other circumstances, she wouldn’t bother people who had to heat and haul water for her. But she couldn’t wait. She wanted to brush her skin raw so that it didn’t hold the memories of that place anymore.
Eloise paced her room while the bath was brought in and filled with water. The moment the last bucket was emptied and the last man exited her room, she started undoing the buttons at the back of her dress. She’d only reached the third button from the top when the door opened once more.
Damn. Should have locked it!
The thought had barely entered her mind when Hades stepped inside.
Eloise froze, startled, unable to move a muscle. Had he found out that she was in his hell? Was he going to punish her? The vision of the man tied up in the private chamber appeared before her eyes.
“Grace tells me you had a little… excursion today,” he said in his usual, unhurried manner.
Eloise swallowed. She could not answer. Her throat was so dry.Grace. So that wigged lady was the proprietress of the private chambers. Eloise should have made the connection. And perhaps she would have, but the experiences of the day seemed to have jumbled her mind and rid her of common sense.
“How did you like it?” Hades asked silkily.
“It—” Eloise licked her lips. “It wasn’t what I expected.”
“What did you expect?” He stepped closer, crowding her, and she couldn’t help but step back.
She felt strange being alone with him in her room. Her insides quivered, and her skin felt hot and clammy. Her heart drummed loudly in her chest as if about to escape the confines of her body.
“Something different,” she answered.
Hades watched her silently, and Eloise watched him in return. He was a tall, huge man. His shoulders were broad, his waist and hips narrow. Eloise couldn’t help but remember the couple enjoying each other in the private chamber. Somehow, that made her mind wander, picturing Hades naked instead. She shook her head from her wanton thoughts.
“Something better?” he asked and stepped even closer.
Eloise caught her breath. Warmth was emanating from Hades, making her feel hot. Or was it the steam from the bath? Either way, she was hot and uncomfortable in her skin. Her clothing chafed, and she longed to be rid of it.
“I-I don’t know,” she stuttered.
Hades took another step. She held her ground this time, just raised her head to meet his eyes. His gaze traveled to her mouth, and she licked her lips self-consciously.
That action unavoidably brought her mind back to that private chamber where the woman was licking—no, she was sucking—on the man’s male organ. It had seemed disgusting to her at the time. Somehow now, remembering it while looking at Hades, at his broad, hard body, it only made excitement rise from inside her. His closeness muddled her mind. What was happening?
Perhaps therewasa curse involved in all this, only it had nothing to do with love or the devil. Hades seemed to enthrall her with his opaque gaze.
She blinked, unwilling to meet his eyes anymore, and her gaze slid down his length. His neck was bare, and the strong columns of his throat beckoned her to taste him.
A wanton thought if she’d ever had one. The company of Verity and her subsequent trip to the hell had not done her any favors.
Then she remembered Hunter, and resolve appeared where doubt lingered a moment ago. If he was free to entertain his wanton thoughts and make them a reality, then surely there was nothing wrong with Eloise entertaining hers. Especially since her thoughts would never become reality.
Eloise raised her eyes to his again, but Hades wasn’t looking there. His gaze lingered on her mouth, then his gaze slid lower, toward her neck.
Eloise imagined his tongue on her skin where only his gaze caressed her now, and her eyes closed. She was tempted to moan, and she had to fist her hands by her sides so she wouldn’t reach for this dangerous man before her.
“My hell is not there for observing,” he finally said. “It is there for experiencing.”
